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A site dedicated to people who enjoy playing fantasy sportsThu, 11 Dec 2014 13:25:13 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.3The MLB Fives for July 19http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-july-19/
http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-july-19/#commentsFri, 19 Jul 2013 14:51:16 +0000http://fantasysports.org/?p=2923Five Notes for Today’s Games 1. Starting Pitchers- Francisco Liriano LHP PIT @ CIN- The Liriano of old has returned. At least that’s what his stats say. Liriano’s velocity is back up, and he’s sporting a rather sexy 2.00 ERA. An awesome start today could give him 10 wins and a sub-2.00 ERA. That would ...

Five Notes for Today’s Games

1. Starting Pitchers-

Francisco Liriano LHP PIT @ CIN- The Liriano of old has returned. At least that’s what his stats say. Liriano’s velocity is back up, and he’s sporting a rather sexy 2.00 ERA. An awesome start today could give him 10 wins and a sub-2.00 ERA. That would be a pretty incredible resurrection for the powerful LHP. I think the Reds LHB will have trouble with Liriano’s slider (as most LHB do). Liriano should be another very popular SP on DraftKings because he has the best matchup of the higher priced pitchers but is priced as the 6th best.

Bud Norris RHP HOU vs SEA- Norris is lights-out at home. He always has been throughout his career. You are going to see a lot of people using him. So far this year he has a 2.27 ERA through 11 home starts. Seattle can be a dangerously powerful team as seen by them being 2nd in the Majors in home runs. Fading Norris may be just as smart a play, but I like the potential for a good start at a relatively cheap $7,200.

Jeremy Hefner RHP NYM vs PHI- Hefner is a beast. He has a 2.17 ERA over his last 11 starts. Hefner is also a much better pitcher at home with a 2.68 ERA. I think you’ll see a rather pumped up Mets team after hosting the All Star game. Like Norris, Hefner is only 7,200. For me it’s only a decision between these two as to who I’m using. Hef may be the sneakiest, smart pitcher play of the day. Hef is a must-start in Starstreet’s Q for his last name alone.

Chad Gaudin RHP SF vs ARI- If you are going cheap with your SP on DK today, it doesn’t get any cheaper than Gaudin. Actually Gaudin has been pretty good fantasy points-wise over his last 6 starts. He actually has a better FPPG over the last six than Strasburg who is the most expensive. I think on a day where everybody is going to be stacking, I think Gaudin is a must-start. For stackers and non-stackers alike, his 5K salary allows you to spend other places.

2. Stud Hitters-

Mike Napoli C/1B BOS- Love the fact that Napoli got some rest over the All Star break. He’ll face the meat-throwing Pettitte to further enhance my love for him today.

Prince Fielder 1B DET- Where has all the power gone? I thought Fielder would dominate the HR Derby’s first round, and he barely even showed up. I will say that he hit the longest HR of the night however. Ervin Santana is not going to be able to contain all of the Tigers hitters. Fielder is a great play against the RHP.

Allen Craig 1B/OF STL- Somehow Allen Craig is only $4,700. He also offers multi-postition elig. He’s hitting historically well with RISP and looks to be in an incredible zone.

Jason Kipnis 2B CLE- There’s little doubt that Kipnis is the top 2B play of the day. I love using him against most RHP. The fact that he’ll face Mike Pelfrey only helps his case. He was just warming back up before the break.

Dustin Pedroia 2B BOS- Pedroia doesn’t have a HR vs a LHP this year. I think that could change today. He’s hitting .333 and slugging .480. He’ll be playing at home vs LHP Pettitte.

Miguel Cabrera 3B DET- **must start** I think most teams will NOT have Miggy today because of his price tag. That’s exactly why I think he’s a must start. As shown by his plate appearances during the All-Star game, he’s really locked in.

Pedro Alvarez 3B PIT- Pedro is my pick to go deep today. He’ll face RHP Leake in a park that he has been mashing in this year.

Jean Segura SS MIL- Jacob Turner has been exhibiting reverse splits so far in his career. Segura likes hitting RHP. To me this play just makes sense.

Cody Ransom SS/3B CHC- Ransom is almost a must start against any mediocre LHP. He has 7 HRs in 69 ABs so far this year vs LHP.

Bryce Harper OF WAS- Love, love, love Harper today coming in after the power display during the derby. He’ll face RHP Nolasco and look to pick right back up where he left off.

Austin Jackson OF DET- AJax finishes my mini stack of the Tigers vs RHP Santana. AJax has also hit RHP much better this year with 4 of his 5 HRs, all 6 SBs, and a .327 AVG.

Carlos Gonzalez OF COL- Samardzija was straight awful in his last start. CarGo has 17 HRs vs RHP. The exciting thing about CarGo this year is that he’s hitting better away from Coors against LHP. That is just a testament to how awesome he is playing.

Alfonso Soriano OF CHC- Let’s see if Soriano’s hot streak has stayed hot. It’s a matchup you have to love as he’ll face LHP De La Rosa in Coors Field. I only worry that his price tag my drag him out of most possible budgets. I don’t think a lot of the Midsummer Classic players will be using Soriano.

Yoenis Cespedes OF OAK- Cespedes hasn’t gone deep since June 21, but he’s moved by his confidence. It’s not an ideal matchup vs RHP Weaver, but I think swagger goes a long way for young inexperienced hitters.

3. Value Hitters-

Chris Herrmann C MIN- Herrmann has been called up and should be in the LU as an OF with the demotion of Parmalee. I like Herrmann as a stack header because he is 2K and a catcher. That’s the perfect combo in my opinion.

Victor Martinez C/1B DET- VMart was hitting .458 over his last 10 going into the break.

Sean Halton 1B MIL- Halton is only on this list because he has the potential of seeing the field. He’s just another stack filler at 2K.

Brandon Belt 1B SF- It was nice to see Belt have multi-hit games in 2 of his last 3 before heading into the break. Look for a “Belted” today against a really struggling RHP Ian Kennedy.

Dan Uggla 2B ATL- Uggla’s power display has been very real. If he gets a hold of LHP Danks meat pitches today, look for them to go a very long way. Not often do you get a guy with so many HRs at a $3,800 price tag especially at 2B. He is boom-or-bust.

Brett Lawrie 3B TOR- Lawrie is a speculative play by me, but he’s gotten to get a couple of games under his belt. I think he’ll come out of this break and flash some of that potential we all knew was within him. Price has been struggling a bit vs RHB.

Trevor Plouffe 3B MIN- Plouffe is hitting a monstrous .351 vs LHP with a .976 OPS. If the Twins are going to get any power in this one, I have a feeling it will be Plouffe doing the damage. Kazmir has been very hit-or-miss as to how dominant he’ll pitch on any given day.

Jose Iglesias SS BOS- Iglesias has cooled quite a bit lately. I like that he still has a .429 AVG and a 1.046 OPS vs LHP. Obviously, that’s not sustainable, but he’s only 3,500 and faces LHP Pettitte.

Grant Green SS OAK- If you are stacking, you will need a 2K guy like Green to start. I don’t know if he will actually produce anything, but that salary can go along way to helping the rest of your team.

J.D. Martinez OF HOU- **must start** Historically, Martinez has been a better hitter against LHP. I have no faith in LHP Saunders away from home. The Astros are great sneaky stack as they are top 10 vs LHP.

Aaron Hicks OF MIN- Hicks has 4 HRs in 54 ABs vs LHP. One of those was off LHP Kazmir back on May 4.

Marcell Ozuna OF MIA- .352 AVG with RISP. I think you’ll see Lohse give up some baserunners today.

Logan Morrison OF MIA- LoMo is a borderline must start. LoMo has been feasting on RHP since his return to the LU. Lohse has given up 19 HRs so far this year.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-july-19/feed/0The MLB Fives for July 11http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-july-11/
http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-july-11/#commentsThu, 11 Jul 2013 14:54:29 +0000http://fantasysports.org/?p=2725Five Notes for ALL Games Today **Weather Warning- Phillies/Nationals, Braves/Reds, Yankees/Royals (early), and Orioles/Rangers** 1. Starting Pitchers Matt Moore LHP TB vs MIN (early)- **must start** Moore is locked back into beast mode. He’s only given up 1 ER total over his last three starts. He also has 26 Ks in 19.1 IP during that ...

Five Notes for ALL Games Today

Matt Moore LHP TB vs MIN (early)- **must start** Moore is locked back into beast mode. He’s only given up 1 ER total over his last three starts. He also has 26 Ks in 19.1 IP during that span. With Willingham out of the line up, the Twins RHB are not impressive. If Moore can maintain his control, he will be dominant and well worth his $9,100 salary.

Ryan Dempster RHP BOS @ SEA (early)- Dempster hasn’t given up more than 3 ER in his last 8 games. He’ll give up the home run at some point, but he’s almost a lock to give you a consistent performance otherwise especially on sites that overvalue the strikeout.

Madison Bumgarner LHP SF @ SD- Padres hit LHP pretty well, but Bumgarner is no ordinary LHP. I expect him to strike out a host of Padres, rack up the Win, and go is usual 7 inning pitched.

Miguel Gonzalez RHP BAL vs TEX- Oh, I don’t feel especially great about this call. The Rangers have been one of the hotter offensive teams. I tried to give you one cheap option to go with Bumgarner for the late games. If you can afford to run Zimmerman out there instead, that might be the safer call. Gonzalez has performed very well this year. He’s only had 1 start in 15 where he gave up more than 5 ER. He’ll strike out about 5 batters a game and has decent control. 2013 has somewhat mirrored the success that Miguel had in 2012 so there is reason to think that he is more legit than not. Tread carefully, this is the high risk/high reward play of the day.

2. Stud Hitters

Mike Napoli C/1B BOS- Napoli didn’t do anything in yesterday’s beat down of the Mariners, but I think he’ll have a different kind of game today. There aren’t any really good stud options at catcher for the early games. You might want to go value.

Wilin Rosario C COL- Rosario has 2 HRs and a .325 AVG over his last 10 games and back-to-back XBH games. LHP Capuano is a very favorable matchup for Rosario.

Edwin Encarnacion 1B TOR- **must start** E5 has been struggling lately, but he will turn it around today.

Chris Davis 1B/OF BAL- ** must start** It doesn’t get much better than this matchup for the Major League leader in home runs. He’ll face a quad A RHP.

Robinson Cano 2B NYY- There isn’t a hotter 2B play, and I expect the Yanks to be pumped up with the return of their leader.

Brandon Phillips 2B CIN- Phillips has been much better away from Cincy hitting .304 with 8 of his 12 HRs on the road.

Kyle Seager 3B SEA- You know Dempster is going to serve one up. Seager is the best bet to be the guy to do the hitting. He’s rocking a .443 AVG over his last 11 games with 5 XBH.

Jose Reyes SS TOR- **must start** Reyes will face a RHP that I’ve honestly never heard of today. I think that should mark a must start.

Hanley Ramirez SS LAD- **must start** Hanley has been the best player in the game since coming off the DL. All this talk about Puig has ignited a fire in Ramirez that is unrivaled by any other hitter right now.

Jose Bautista OF TOR- Echoing the Blue Jays stack, Bautista is a little pricier but remains an option as his power has been awfully powerful lately.

Colby Rasmus OF TOR- Rasmus has a .325 AVG and 2 HRs over his last 11 games and is always in play against RHP.

Austin Jackson OF DET- I like Jackson’s chances of getting a steal if Flowers is behind the plate even with LHP Sale on the mound. Sale has also been a bit more human lately.

Allen Craig OF STL- Craig has hit .443 over his last 11 games. I all but guarantee him to rake a couple of hits in today.

Yasiel Puig OF LAD- Puig has been pretty bad lately, but I like his chances to bust out of his slump in a big way vs LHP Pomeranz.

Bryce Harper OF WAS- His price has dropped a bit, and he’ll finally get to face a RHP. I’m in as Harper is due for a home run.

3. Value Hitters

Mike Zunino C SEA- Only 2K on DK and with Dempster’s propensity to give up homers, Zunino looks like the perfect roster-filling, speculative play.

Brandon Belt 1B SF- Belt is only 3,800 on DK and has 8 of his 9 HRs vs RHP.

Kelly Johnson 2B TB- Johnson has 5 RBI in his last three games and will face RHP Mike Pelfrey today.

Dan Uggla 2B ATL- When you draft Uggla you hope for that game where he walks and gets an extra base hit. There’s a good chance you will not get that Uggla, but at least the Ks won’t kill you on DraftKings.

Jose Iglesias SS BOS- He’s not going to win anything for you, but he’s been a lock for a hit and something else lately. He’s only 2,900 on DK today.

J.J. Hardy SS BAL- I think you need to spend on SS today, but if you go cheap, I like Hardy vs the unintimidating RHP Ross Wolf.

Lonnie Chisenhall 3B CLE- Chisenhall isn’t very good, but if Dickey is serving it up then there could be a good opportunity for Chisenhall to show off that power stroke.

Anthony Rendon 3B WAS- I expect Rendon to continue to hit. Harper’s presence in the LU makes Rendon a better hitter especially when they slot him as the number 2 hitter.

Raul Ibanez OF SEA- Ibanez power stroke has been one of the more remarkable things of the 2013 season. Dempster has average one home run over each of his last 11 starts. There is a chance.

Michael Bourn OF CLE- I like Bourn’s chances vs RHP RA Dickey and JP Arencibia. That combo should provide hits, steals, and maybe even runs.

Mike Carp OF BOS- Carp has been a RHP killer all year. That shouldn’t change today.

Darin Ruf OF PHI- Keep running him out there folks. The power is real.

Jason Heyward OF ATL- **must start** JHey is hitting the ball pretty sharply. He has been very unlucky. His unluckiness works to your advantage as he is only $3,600 on DK now.

Carlos Quentin OF SD- Quentin’s power is rounding into form. He is very formidable against all LHP even Madison Bumgarner. $3,800 makes me willing to take the chance.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-july-11/feed/0The MLB Fives for June 28http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-28/
http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-28/#commentsFri, 28 Jun 2013 15:06:31 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2646Five Notes for Today’s Games 1. Starting Pitchers- Matt Harvey RHP NYM vs WAS- Every time he toes the rubber, Harvey is under automatic consideration to be used. Today he’ll face a Nationals line-up that really misses the effect of Bryce Harper’s presence. Harvey is pricey, but he’s also the top option of the night. ...

Five Notes for Today’s Games

1. Starting Pitchers-

Matt Harvey RHP NYM vs WAS- Every time he toes the rubber, Harvey is under automatic consideration to be used. Today he’ll face a Nationals line-up that really misses the effect of Bryce Harper’s presence. Harvey is pricey, but he’s also the top option of the night. The other pricey option is Max Scherzer RHP DET @ TB. Scherzer has been even better than Harvey lately and has beat down two of the best offenses in MLB in his last two starts. Last time Scherzer faced the Rays he went 7 IP with 8 Ks and only 1 ER.

Hisashi Iwakuma RHP SEA vs CHC- I just don’t think he could possibly have three bad outings in a row.

Julio Teheran RHP ATL vs ARI- I’ve said this before in this space, and I’ll say it again. Teheran has taken the next step in his development and could be something special if he continues on this trend. He’s harnessed his 95 MPH fastball and has been stellar at mixing in his plus change-up. His price is still reasonable on most sites.

Chris Capuano LHP LAD vs PHI- Chris hasn’t given up a run in his last two starts. Capuano has destroyed LHB this season to the tune of only 1 XBH in 51 batters faced. I assume the Phillies will continue to start Utley, Howard, and Domonic Brown. If Capuano can navigate Delmon Young, Michael Young, and Carlos Ruiz, I think he could have another good start. He has some risk in the amount of innings he’ll pitch, but I think he’s a lock for 6 IP and 4 Ks. The earned runs are the only question mark.

Bartolo Colon RHP OAK vs STL- Normally I never pick a pitcher against the bats of the Cardinals, but Colon has a lot of value on DraftKings tonight at a $6,900 price tag. Colon has had a quality start in 12 of his 15 starts this year. On sites where innings carry heavier weight like DraftKings and Starstreet then Colon makes a nice gamble tonight.

J.P. Arencibia C TOR- “Auto-dong” should have his opportunity to go deep in this game vs the weak arm of Allen Webster in the RH hitter’s park of Fenway.

Edwin Encarnacion 1B TOR- E5 has 18 HRs in 237 ABs vs RHP this year. Somebody is going to hit home runs for the Blue Jays in this game, and I think Encarnacion is as good a bet as any. On DK you must choose between Lind and Encranacion at 1B. I would choose E5 even though Lind’s peripherals are slightly better.

Chris Davis 1B/OF BAL- I like the flexibility of Davis on DraftKings. If you could find the budget for his huge 6,600 salary, I think he has a plus matchup vs RHP David Phelps.

Brandon Phillips 2B CIN- The 2B position is relatively weak today as far as matchups go. Phillips will face LHP Martin Perez. He did just have a newborn baby at home so that could either be a motivating factor or lack of sleep. Who knows? With not much else to choose from, you really have no other choice at the stud level.

Pablo Sandoval 3B SF- The Panda has more power from the left side of the plate and has a very favorable matchup vs Chacin in Coors.

David Wright 3B NYM- Wright is a career .334 AVG/ 1.005 OPS vs LHP. LHP Detwiler had an awful start his last time out and is giving up a .324 AVG and .813 OPS to RHB. It’s almost a perfect storm for a good game for Wright.

Hanley Ramirez SS LAD- **must start** Hanley has hit safely in 9 straight with 4 HRs, and he’ll face LHP John Lannan. That’s all that needs to be said.

Yasiel Puig OF LAD- I don’t think you can justify not using Puig these days. There’s really nobody that’s more consistent right now.

Michael Cuddyer OF COL- Cuddyer is hitting .345 AVG vs LHP and has been absolutely amazing at home hitting .385 AVG with a 1.103 OPS in Coors.

Andrew McCutchen OF PIT- I honestly don’t know much about Johnny Hellweg, but I know that he hasn’t faced a hitter like McCutchen.

Dexter Fowler OF COL- Fowler is one of the few switch hitters that hit better from the right side. Fowler has hit .300 vs LHP over the course of his career as opposed to .262 as a LHB. This year Fowler has seen his OPS rise to .962 to LHP and .931 at home.

Value Hitters

Mike Zunino C SEA- Zunino is only 2K on DraftKings. It’s not the greatest matchup in the world vs LHP Travis Wood, but a 2K player doesn’t have to do much to gain value.

John Buck C NYM- only on Fanduel where he’s 2,400, but I like the matchup vs LHP Detwiler

Carlos Ruiz C PHI- Facing LHP Chris Capuano really works in Ruiz’ favor. Ruiz has always hit LHP pretty well and has been seeing the ball really well over his 3 starts behind the dish. Don’t be surprised to see another mult-hit game out of him.

Brandon Moss 1B/OF OAK- Shelby Miller has been showing some chinks in the armor lately, and Moss has shown he can hit for power vs RHP (12 HRs and .508 SLG).

Omar Infante 2B DET- facing RHP Alex Colome is no small task, but Infante is a grinder.

Dan Uggla 2B ATL- Uggla is due for a HR. Delgado could have some nerves returning to Atlanta. I just worry about Uggla’s eye issues. High risk/High reward play

Juan Francisco 3B MIL- Juan is hitting .267 with 4 HRs over his last 10 games. He’ll face the flame throwing Cole tonight, but JuanFran has no problems with the fastball. It’s the crooked pitches that get him.

Josh Donaldson 3B OAK- At 3,700 I could see someone using Donaldson as speculation that Miller continues to struggle. Donaldson is hitting .290 AVG vs RHP.

Jhonny Peralta SS DET- Peralta has 6 of his 7 HRs vs RHP and still has a .295 AVG vs righties. He’s well worth the $3,300 price on Draft Kings

Jean Segua SS MIL- At 4,100 on DK that seems like a steal even if Segura has cooled a bit.

Nate Schierholtz OF CHC- He’s only 3,700 so He’d be worth the speculative play vs RHP Iwakuma who has struggled the last two times out and gave up 3 HRs the last game.

Austin Jackson OF DET- Jackson joins the other non-Miggy Tigers with cheap price tags on DK today. Shockingly this should be an easy stack to pull of for the GPPs.

Jason Heyward OF ATL- $3,900 on DK and facing a RHP Randall Delgado.

Matt Kemp OF LAD – Only 3K on Fanduel and proved last night that he’s fit with 2 SBs. Let’s just hope the power returns.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-28/feed/0The MLB Fives for June 27http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-2/
http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-2/#commentsThu, 27 Jun 2013 14:56:11 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2632 Five Notes for ALL the Games Today 1. Starting Pitchers- Patrick Corbin LHP ARI @ WAS- Corbin is a **must start** today. He’s already pitching like one of the better pitchers in all of baseball. He’ll face the Nationals today that are the worst in MLB in AVG, OBP, and OPS vs LHP. Corbin ...

Five Notes for ALL the Games Today

1. Starting Pitchers-

Patrick Corbin LHP ARI @ WAS- Corbin is a **must start** today. He’s already pitching like one of the better pitchers in all of baseball. He’ll face the Nationals today that are the worst in MLB in AVG, OBP, and OPS vs LHP. Corbin destroys LHB. Nobody has stolen a base on him, seriously. I’m not saying it will be a cake walk for Corbin (Vegas has the Nats heavy favorites -145), but it could be very close.

Derek Holland LHP TEX @ NYY- The Yankees still carry around a huge name, but their bats haven’t lived up to that name. The Yanks are 4th worst in MLB in OPS vs LHP. Holland has had three straight rough starts of 4 earned runs in each start. All five of Holland’s bad starts have come against teams with much better offenses than the Yankees. Holland has crushed mediocre to bad offenses this year.

Tyler Chatwood RHP COL vs NYM- Chatwood is living under the radar. He has given up 2 ER or less in each of his last 7 starts. Chatwood probably won’t strike out a ton of hitters (even though the Mets like to strike out), but he has done a really good job with men on base. It’s a risky way to pitch and could get him burned, but Chatwood is keeping the ball down. He has not given up a home run all year; that includes four starts in Coors.

Avoid Zack Greinke RHP LAD vs PHI as he has been struggling with LHB. If the LHB of the Dodgers are rocking then they are tough to beat because Puig and Hanley have been holding down the right side quite nicely.

2. Stud Hitters-

Wilin Rosario C COL- Rosario is streaky and has 3 straight mult-hit games and doesn’t lose power vs RHP.

Joe Mauer C MIN- You’ll have to pay, but nobody beats his consistency from this thin position.

Anthony Rizzo 1B CHC- The way Rizzo holds his hands will always make his susceptible to having slumps, but he’s catching serious fire lately with 5 XBH in last 5, two of which were long balls.

David Ortiz 1B BOS- always a possibility every night. I like this match-up vs Wang

Hanley Ramirez SS LAD- **must start** Hanley has a 9 game hit streak with 4 HRs and 5 mult-hit games. Heck he even stole a base last night.

Carlos Gonzalez OF COL- CarGo hasn’t HR’d in 6 games which means he’s due at the way he’s been playing in 2013.

Jacoby Ellsbury OF BOS- Facing the arm of Arencibia and the slow delivery of Wang makes me think there could be some stolen bases to be had for Ellsbury.

Yasiel Puig OF LAD- I’m a believer

Mike Trout OF LAA- just seems like an opportunity to go deep vs RHP Fister who can give HRs up out of nowhere. I like the way Trout has been hitting lately.

3. Value Hitters-

Salvador Perez C KC- best cheap catcher on FD, and does very well vs RHP

Carlos Ruiz C PHI- 2,700 on Fanduel. Chooch is under-priced and heating up at the dish. Don’t love the matchup vs Greinke, but he’s always a threat for a couple of hits.

Mike Napoli 1B BOS- 3,400 on Fanduel doesn’t necessarily make Napoli a value play, but I think with his talent and hitting as of late he could have a good enough game vs Wang to warrant value even at 3,400. Additionally there aren’t many cheap 1B options today

Billy Butler 1B KC- if you must grab a 1B under 3K on FD then Butler seems to be the best bet. Even though Deduno is sneaky good, I think Butler is going to start exhibiting that power that we all know is coming.

Darwin Barney 2B CHC- not the sexiest pick, but Barney has hit safely in 6 straight games including 3 XBHs and 4 runs.

Nolan Arenado 3B COL- keeping with the Rockies stack, Vegas is predicting runs in this one 10, and I don’t think Chatwood is going to be the one serving them up.

Luis Valbuena 3B CHC- all the Cubs are still cheap on Fanduel as Valbuena is 2,700. Valbuena has hit safely in 10 of last 11 and has a decent .826 OPS vs LHP

Jimmy Rollins SS PHI- Greinke has shown weakness towards LHB so far this year. JRoll has hit slightly better from the LH side of the plate. He may still be a reach.

Andre Ethier OF LAD- Ethier hasn’t had the best of seasons but hasn’t been awful vs RHP. Pettibone struggles vs LHB.

Ryan Sweeney OF CHC- In keeping with the value love affair with the Cubs, Sweeney has 4 XBH during his current 5 game hit streak.

Alex Gordon OF KC- Gordon seems like he may be getting out of his awful slump with a HR and walk-off hit yesterday.

David Murphy OF TEX- Murphy is always a HR threat vs RHP. Hughes has been disastrous at home.

Daniel Nava OF BOS- 3,300 on FD. Nava crushes RHP, and Wang could get lit up on any given night.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-2/feed/0The Daily Fantasy Pulse- 6-26http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-fantasy-pulse-6-26/
http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-fantasy-pulse-6-26/#commentsWed, 26 Jun 2013 19:54:15 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2633Yesterday’s Studs Rickie Weeks- Who even is Rickie Weeks, really? I can never get a ready on this guy. Last night, he was able to go 3/4 with a double and TWO home runs. Starling Marte- Marte and our next stud appear to finally be heating up. Marte has just been bad for the last ...

Rickie Weeks- Who even is Rickie Weeks, really? I can never get a ready on this guy. Last night, he was able to go 3/4 with a double and TWO home runs.

Starling Marte- Marte and our next stud appear to finally be heating up. Marte has just been bad for the last month, but last night went 3/5 with a triple and 2 homers.

Allen Craig- Paul Sporer’s life partner and one of my favorite cheaper daily plays with upside, Craig finally had a big game, going 4-5 with a homer.

6-26 Pitchers

Mike Minor- You could roll with Kershawn, Zimmerman or Hamels, but my starter across all platforms is going to be Minor. He’s been very sluggish in his last two games out, which has really lowered his price tag from the upper crust, to the higher sections of tier 2. He’s still striking out 24.% of batters in the month of June and gets a matchup against a team that just isn’t very good. The Royals offense should never scare you, and when they are facing an elite pitcher, it’s likely they just swing themselves into a strikeout oblivion.

Justin Grimm- This is one is stricly from a value standpoint. Playing as a rightie in New York is going to be risky, no matter who that pitcher is. We just saw Yu Darvish give up 3 earned runs to this exact lineup. However, the Yankees are STILL the worst offense over the last 14 days and Grimm is so cheap that two of him don’t even equal Miguel Cabrera on DraftDay.

6-26 Hitters

Jason Castro- Lance Lynn and the magic of the Cardinals aside, Castro is still hitting .289 off of righties, with a .502. He’s cheaper than many options at catcher with the same plausible upside. That’s who I’ll be playing tonight.

Allen Craig- Riding the positive ways of last nights exploits against Erik Bedard, I expect Craig and his .508 SLG versus lefties to play an important role in some DFS victories tonight.

Jason Kipnis- We’ve seen this movie before. Kipnis just an excellent righty masher, slugging .558 versus them and Jason Hammel just gives it up to lefties like it is his job (it is not, in fact, his job) with a .361 wOBA given to left handed batters.

Miguel Cabrera- Cabrera versus an old pitcher with a plus 5 ERA? Who ya got?

Manny Machado- Whatever magic Scott Kazmir had, it is long gone now. He is allowing a .428 wOBA to righties which is just otherworldly bad. Machado is currently hitting above .300 with a .476 SLG%. Get it done.

Jean Segura- Segura is basically becoming my favorite baseball player ever. You just cannot stop him and I don’t think there’s anything special about Scott Feldman.

Austin Jackson- A little under the radar because he missed alot of this season the DL, but Austin Jackson is a legit fantasy All-Star player, someone gets on base, steals, hits home runs and plays in a power lineup. I like a Tigers stack versus Hanson tonight.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-fantasy-pulse-6-26/feed/0The MLB Fives for June 25http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-25/
http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-25/#commentsTue, 25 Jun 2013 14:46:09 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2616Five Notes for Today’s Games **Watch the weather radar escpially in Boston and Chicago, both these games have increasing chances of storms** 1. Starting Pitchers I can’t blame if you were to want to use Yu Darvish RHP TEX @ NYY or Chris Sale LHP CWS vs NYM. They have been dominant and consistent. They ...

**Watch the weather radar escpially in Boston and Chicago, both these games have increasing chances of storms**

1. Starting Pitchers

I can’t blame if you were to want to use Yu Darvish RHP TEX @ NYY or Chris Sale LHP CWS vs NYM. They have been dominant and consistent. They also have massive price tags. I would argue there are some cheaper options out there today.

Jeff Locke LHP PIT @ SEA- Locke has been pitching a bit over his head, but he has also shown a lot of poise and a plus, plus slider. Locke hasn’t given up a run in his last two starts and hasn’t given up more than 3 earned runs since April 18. Seattle is bottom 5 in MLB in AVG and OPS vs LHP. Really the only weapons they have against lefties are hurt or slumping. Don’t be surprised to see Locke put in another quality start and probably a W today.

Jose Fernandez RHP MIA vs MIN- Normally, I’m not that into Home/Away splits but the Cuban, Fernandez, has an eye opening difference in his performance near his home as opposed to on the road. At home, Fernandez has a 1.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a BAA of .186. Away from Miami, Fernandez ERA balloons to 4.12 and WHIP rises a bit to 1.19. The thing I like most about Fernandez is that his tight, backdoor curve is almost more devastating to LHB than RHB. So the Twins will not have an advantage if they lefty-load today. I’m in on Fernandez on any two pitcher sites.

Kris Medlen RHP ATL @ KC- You never know which Medlen you are going to get most nights, but Medlen has done a great job reducing his numbers as the season has progressed. He was roughed up by the Giants his last time out, but I don’t think Medlen will have much of a problem with the lowly bats out in Kansas City. KC is bottom 3 in OPS vs RHP. Maybe Kris isn’t the safest option, but he has a higher K ceiling than Locke.

Here’s where today gets tricky. There are so many viable starting pitcher options, it is going to be difficult to pin down which one is going to be the best value. I also like Zach Wheeler RHP NYM @ CWS. Wheeler has nasty stuff as evidenced by his last start, but he is also having trouble locating that nastiness. He’s minimum salary some places and would be the perfect compliment to a Tigers stack on Draft Kings. The other two options you will be staring at are mid-tier guys with a slight risk for a blow-up start: Kyle Lohse RHP MIL vs CHC and Jake Westbrook RHP STL @ HOU. Westbrook might actually strike some batters out since he’ll get to face the Astros. Lohse has only given up 1 earned run in each of his last three starts, and he’ll face the Cubs who field a barely competitive lineup on a nightly basis. I don’t know if I will use either of these two, but they should be mentioned.

2. Stud Hitters

Jonathan Lucroy C MIL- hitting .395 over last 10 games and .371 over his last 27 games. I like this matchup vs Edwin Jackson at home

Hanley Ramirez SS LAD – **must start** HanRam has struggled against LHP in a very small sample size this year, but he is seeing the ball really well and even has 3 HRs in his current 7 game hit streak.

Jhonny Peralta SS DET- .406 AVG vs LHP

Yasiel Puig OF LAD- hitting .565 AVG with a 1.609 OPS vs LHP in just 23 ABs. It is worth noting that he will face the horrible LHP Mike Kickham

Austin Jackson OF DET- .423 AVG over last 10 games. Look for a steal or two if Iannetta is behind the plate.

Andrew McCutchen OF PIT- hit safely in last four and finally gets a soft-tossing LHP in Joe Saunders

Carlos Gonzalez OF COL- Dempster has 12 HRs in his last 10 games and I think we’ll see CarGo add to that total.

Matt Kemp OF LAD- should make his return to the lineup today vs LHP Mike Kickham, love this matchup if you are brave

Aaron Hill 2B ARI – makes his return from the DL. He hit .375 and 6 RBIs during his 24 ABs on his Minor League rehab stint. He’s not cheap but has an interesting matchup vs the newly vulnerable LHP Gio Gonzalez.

How the mighty have fallen. Starlin Castro SS CHC has seen his price drop all the way to the minimum on Fanduel. I wouldn’t use him today, but he deserves to be kept in the back of your mind or as a roster filler.

Note for tomorrow- Jose Reyes SS TOR will be activated from the DL on Wednesday.

The Yankees have scored the second lowest amount of runs (150), lowest AVG (.219), lowest OPS (.604) in the month of June.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-mlb-fives-for-june-25/feed/0The Daily MLB Fantasy Pulse- 6-24http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-24/
http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-24/#commentsMon, 24 Jun 2013 20:45:53 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2611Yesterday’s Studs Anthony Rizzo- Rizzo is one of the those consistently attractive daily fantasy options with a cheap price and the rights splits, but who rarely performs to expectation. Last night was not the case. He had 3 hits (including a double and a homer), 4 ribbies and a HBP. His teammate Ryan Sweeny didn’t ...

Anthony Rizzo- Rizzo is one of the those consistently attractive daily fantasy options with a cheap price and the rights splits, but who rarely performs to expectation. Last night was not the case. He had 3 hits (including a double and a homer), 4 ribbies and a HBP. His teammate Ryan Sweeny didn’t have a bad night either!

David Wright- He was a single away from hitting the cycle! Two doubles, a triple, and a homer (I bet he wishes he had one of those dobulesl back) were joined by 2 RBI’s and 2 runs.

Jordan Schafer- This is why I love gambling on talented 4th outfielders; when they crack the starting lineup, it isn’t uncommon to see a performance like Schafer’s last night where he went 4/5 with a double, a homer and a stolen base.

6/24 Pitchers

Eric Stults- Ooooff. It’s an ugly day for starting pitching options. On days when the best option (Cliff Lee) is going to have their price artificially inflated, it’s best to go the other way and try to save as much money money as possible so that you can target elite hitters at each position. Stults isn’t bad, and the Phillies aren’t a good offense. In the month of June, Stults has a 1.84 ERA and opposing batters are only hitting .206 off of him. The Phillies have the 8th worst offense in baseball and over the last 14 days, are even worse than that. I’m starting Stults with confidence.

Jeremy Hellickson- Jeremy Hellickson has anger the baseball Gods that allowed him to have a crazy low ERA, while stranding an above average number of runners and not striking enough guys out. However, in his last outting he only allowed to earned runs and 3 starts ago, had 6 shutout innings. Hellickson is inconsistent and could blow up on you, but he’s a cheap second pitcher.

6/24 Hitters

Carlos Santana- Zach Britton is probably just never going to become who we thought he was and Carlos Santana is hitting .282 with a .358 OBP versus lefties. I like an Indians stack tonight and Santana is where it starts.

Chris Davis- Chris Davis is approaching “just FREAKING play the guy” territory. He’s mashing 1.239 OPS and a .506 wOBA. I cannot even stress how could he is, and how juicy the matchup versus Ubaldo and his 1.70 HR/9 versus lefties is.

Ryan Flaherty- With only 4 games, you really have to determine which pitchers you think underperform and which teams are going to have the highest run totals. I think the Orioles are going to mash on the Indians and the lefty Flaherty will be in a nice position to pick up some cheap runs and RBI’s.

Mike Aviles- Aviles is basically the perfect DFS player. He will never cost you anything and when he gets in a nice matchup versus a struggling pitcher (Zach Britton) he’s got a high upside in a power-filled lineup.

Muneroi Kawasaki- Despite advocating for Hellickson, I still think that Kawasaki, for a player who has a .341 OBP, is always super undervalued in daily fantasy pricing. He’s a perfect roster filler for tonight.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-24/feed/0The Daily Fantasy Pulse- 6-21http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-fantasy-pulse-6-21/
http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-fantasy-pulse-6-21/#commentsFri, 21 Jun 2013 19:56:54 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2608Yesterday’s Studs Kyle Seager- Seagar was NOT playing games last night. Seager is generally underrated and performances like these need to be kept in mind when creating DFS lineups. Seager had 4 hits, 2 doubles and a homer, with 3 runs. Evan Longoria- Always a strange day when the Rays make the studs list. Longoria ...

Kyle Seager- Seagar was NOT playing games last night. Seager is generally underrated and performances like these need to be kept in mind when creating DFS lineups. Seager had 4 hits, 2 doubles and a homer, with 3 runs.

Evan Longoria- Always a strange day when the Rays make the studs list. Longoria reached base 3 times in 4 plate appearances and took his two hits all the way out of the ballpark.

David Wright- All 3 studs today are eligible are third basemen! I hope you play on site that allows multi-position eligibility. Wright also swatted two homers.

6/21 Pitching

Bartolo Colon- I want to go Hisashi Iwakuma in this spot, but Colon is just significantly cheaper and will honestly perform just as well. Iwakuma is going to strike out more batters, but Colon gets the much worse Mariners offense. Over the the 14 days, the Mariners are the 4th worst offense in baseball and have only hit 8 home runs. Colon is going to have no problem going deep into this game and most likely, picking up a W.

Tyler Chatwood- After seeing what Roy Oswalt was able to do in yet another Favre-ian resurgence versus the Nationals last night, I have few reservations about Chatwood. The Nats without Bryce Harper are not a good offense, only slightly better than the Mariners that I just recommended. Chatwood has a 2.33 ERA and 2.53 FIP. His main issue is walks, but luckily the Nationals aren’t all that adept at walking, with a team 7.2% BB rate.

6/21 Hitting

Matt Wieters- Not so much about how well Wieters is playing (trust me, he isn’t), but about the matchup and pricing. Wieters has been cold and his price reflects that, but facing R.A Dickey is just what the doctor ordered. I’m a believer in this Orioles offense and if they rough Dickey up, Wieters should be included in the fun.

Chris Davis- Do I feel comfortable starting the major league leader in homers against a pitching giving up 1.35 HR/9? Yes, hypothetical question guy, I do.

Ben Zobrist- Zobrist will likely be towards the top of the lineup with Kelly Johnson on the shelf at the moment and the matchup versus David Phelps in one that I want to be a part of. Zobrist is a pretty cheap option with a high OBP versus righties (.426) that could rack up the runs if the Rays beat up on Phelps.

Miguel Cabrera- Don’t complain, just do it.

Adrian Beltre- If you aren’t spending on Miggy, I wouldn’t mind throwing Beltre out who is slugging .514 versus lefties and is facing Tyler Lyons and his 4.65 ERA.

Yasiel Puig- Running it back from yesterday, I defintely want Puig going against righties. His sample size is crazy small right now, but he is slugging .950 off of lefties. Go ahead and run with that sample.

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-fantasy-pulse-6-21/feed/0The Daily MLB Fantasy Pulse- 6-20http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-20/
http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-20/#commentsThu, 20 Jun 2013 16:48:31 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2585Yesterday’s Studs Micheal Brantley- That Cleveland offense that started out the season so hot has recently turned things up a notch and Brantley lead the way last night with 2 homers. Yasiel Puig- So umm…why did Andre Ethier start this year over Puig, again? The hits just don’t stop coming and last night was no ...

Micheal Brantley- That Cleveland offense that started out the season so hot has recently turned things up a notch and Brantley lead the way last night with 2 homers.

Yasiel Puig- So umm…why did Andre Ethier start this year over Puig, again? The hits just don’t stop coming and last night was no exception as Puig had another homer, another steal, and a HBP.

Brian Dozier- Yep, that Brian Dozier. Luis Mendoza can make dreams come true for opposing hitters and that’s exactly what he and the Royals bullpen did for Dozier by by walking him 3 times and giving him a perfect gopher ball.

6/20 Pitching

Felix Hernandez- Well, yesterday’s Chris Sale play didn’t work out, but I’m going back to the well on spending on starting pitching. I don’t like any of secondary options quite as much as I like Hernandez against the free swinging Angels. Hernandez has been absolutely dominant over his last two starts and is actually a little cheaper than usual, at least on DraftDay. In his lone start against the Angels this year, he gave up one earned run over 8 innings and I expect similar results.

Tom Koehler- No, I’m dead serious. Not the nobody facing Miami, the nobody who is pitching for Miami! Koehler is right in the middle of a miserable strech, including 9 earned runs in his last start versus St. Louis. However, earlier in the year, he had several in control appearances with only one or two earned runs and he sports a nifty 53% groundball rate. Keeping the ball in the park against the Giants will help and with how cheap he is, all you need is 6 innings of 2 run ball to meet value.

6/20 Hitting

Mike Napoli- Napoli versus a leftie is an instant start. Jose Alvarez only has one major league start and performed well, but this Red Sox lineup is a different beast. Napoli does have some reverse splits with lefties, but that isn’t going to stop me from starting him in what I anticipate to be a Boston beatdown.

Dustin Pedroia- I’m going dirt cheap on first base tonight, with all of the expensive options either not playing, in the early games, or with poor matchups. That means I can spend on Lazer Show and his 1.031 OPS versus lefties.

Miguel Cabrera- Y’all ready know.

Andrelton Simmons- Leading off against Jon Niese isn’t a terrible spot to be in. Simmons is hitting .260/.291/.350 off of righties, which isn’t super miserable for a cheap leadoff option. He has 12 extra base hits and 10 walks versus righties, so take him and watch the AB’s rack up.

Yasiel Puig- I don’t know what the rhyme or reason to how good Puig has been is, but I do know that he’s facing Jason Marquis who has a mediocre 3.49 ERA away from home while allowing a .465 SLG% outside of Petco Park. Just start him and be amazed by what he can do.

Justin Upton- Yes, he has cooled down greatly from his hot start, but the Braves are still a great offfense and Jon Niese is okay, not great. Upton has an .ISO of .359 versus lefties; that’s RULL good. Start him with no regrets

]]>http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-20/feed/0The Daily MLB Fantasy Pulse- 6-19http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-19/
http://fantasysports.org/the-daily-mlb-fantasy-pulse-6-19/#commentsWed, 19 Jun 2013 19:26:28 +0000http://www.fantasysports.org/?p=2580(I didn’t end up playing any yesterday, and if I don’t have a sense for the values and schedule of the day, I can’t judge the studs. 6/19 Pitchers Chris Sale- There is not one single pitching matchup in the late games that makes me excited. Chris Sale is the best play today, obviously, but ...

(I didn’t end up playing any yesterday, and if I don’t have a sense for the values and schedule of the day, I can’t judge the studs.

6/19 Pitchers

Chris Sale- There is not one single pitching matchup in the late games that makes me excited. Chris Sale is the best play today, obviously, but his price reflects just that. Despite a 4 ER hiccup 2 games ago, he has had 0 or 1 earned runs allowed in each of his last 5 starts. His stellar 26% K-rate means that even if he doesn’t go deep into the game, his ceiling is still sky high. If you don’t want to gamble on the Jake Westbrook’s of the world, this is how you go.

Justin Masterson- 11-2 record for the Royals over the last 13 games? Still only 8 home runs over the last 14 days. This is NOT a team that has a huge offensive explosion just bubbling below the surface. Masterson is the only ace-ish type DFS pitcher who has a weaker opponent today. In one pitcher formats, it’s all Sale, but with two pitcher leagues, Masterson will fill my #2 slot.

6/19 Hitters

Johnathan Lucroy- Consider me a non-believer when it comes to Erik Bedard. Lucroy has a .125 ISO versus lefties and on a day when the top catcher options don’t have the right handededness matchups, I don’t mind taking a gamble on Lucroy’s power.

Brandon Moss- So, we know that Justin Grimm isn’t good right? His triple slash to lefties: .303/.358/.473. So yeah, Moss is gonna have a freaking night, as he is slugging .503 versus righties.

Jason Kipnis- Triple slash versus righties: .252/.345/.424. While Kipnis is a leftie that can still get hits off of lefties, he won’t have to worry about that against Luis Mendoza. Mendoza is allowing lefties to slug FIVE OH SEVEN against him. Yes, please start Kipnis, guys.

DJ Lemahieu- I like DJ as a value play tonight, as I think the Rockies really rough up Mark Buehrle and Lemahieu is able to score some runs, and take some walks. He’s cheap, and one of the guys I’ll be using as a filler.

Jean Segura- GUYS YOU HAVE TO PLAY SEGURA AGAINST LEFTIES. That is the number one rule of daily fantasy baseball. The last time I typed in all caps about this, Segura had a total of six hits in one single extra-inning game.

Outfielder Targets: Yoenis Cespedes- Can still bomb off of righties, will be underpriced for split. Matt Joyce- If Matt Joyce could just face righties all the time, he’d be a real All-Star. Peter Bourjous- Joe Saunders is just so horribly bad outside of Seattle, I cannot imagine this game without 10 Angels runs.